It’s good to have rituals. It’s good to reaffirm your faith in certain institutions. And clearly, if you’re reading this site, then you know that cinema is one of those institutions. It’s time for another “100 Things I Love About Movies” list. As you may recall from the other times I’ve performed this exercise, this list isn’t a top 100, nor is it the ONLY 100 things I love about movies. It’s a snapshot of 100 specific things I love about movies. A complete list of things I love about movies would be staggering, as is the case for most of us.

1. Quentin Tarantino placing a reference to a Disney princess- Cinderella- in his revenge fantasy movie about Nazis.

2. I am Spartacus.

3. Everything about the shower scene in Psycho (1960)

4.”If that plane leaves the ground and you’re not with him, you’ll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.”

5. “Mongo only pawn in game of life.”

6. The cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about. You’re daaaamn right.

7. The freeze frame ending of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

8. William Blake- but not THE William Blake- sailing off to his death in Dead Man (1995)

9. Lina Lamont’s voice in Singin’ in the Rain (1951)

10. The shooting star in Jaws (1975)

11. The Bride of Frankenstein’s badass hairdo.

12. Busby Berkeley dance sequences

13. “They call me MISTER Tibbs!”

14. The corrosive nature of greed in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

15. This amazing bit of editing madness from the Czech New Wave classic, Daisies (1966):

16. The murderous refrigerator in Requiem for a Dream (2000)

17. Barbara Stanwyck as a femme fatale

18. Patrick Bateman’s infatuation with paper, ink, and bindery in American Psycho (2000)

23. “There’s a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that that’s all some people have? It isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan.”
-John L. Sullivan, Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

61. Georges Méliès’ visual trickery before the cinematic medium had even been defined

62. Winslow Leach’s mask in Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

63. The final shot of Electra Glide in Blue (1973)

64. I know what you’re thinking: “Did he fire six shots or only five?” Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do you, punk?

65. The little old lady flying out the window on her motorized scooter in Gremlins (1984)

66. Nicholas Angel riding back into Sandford on horseback with ammunition angel wings in Hot Fuzz (2007) during quite possibly the most boomerang moment-laden 20 minutes in movie history

67. The first look behind the phantom’s mask in the Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Oh man… have you ever seen The Monster Squad? It’s not exactly as big-scale as The Avengers, but it’s got all of the big monsters in there and is so much fun. It features the epic line, “Wolf Man’s got nards!” from a kid who kicks the Wolf Man in the nards.